Compton Rapper Problem Wrote the Name of His New Mixtape in MDMA
Compton rapper Problem has worked heavily with hip-hop icons Snoop Dogg and E-40 -- his collaboration with the latter, "Function," is one of the catchiest songs of 2012. But he's also just about the only MC in the game who isn't scared to look happy about his success. Hot on the heels of his new mixtape Welcome to Mollywood 2 and ahead of his show at the Key Club tomorrow night, we spoke to Problem about how the song "Function" came to be, why he smiles so much and if the MDMA on the cover of his mixtape was real. 
Compton's Problem
Your moniker "Problem" actually predates your rap career and comes from your teenage years playing basketball. What made you decide to try rapping?
Honestly man, the real answer is girls. All the girls liked rapping. They would come over, I'd freestyle and they'd be into it. I dove into it, and I've been locked in ever since.
How did your song "Function" with E-40 come together?
I had a record with 40 called "Potion" last summer, and the "Function" hook was the first four bars of my verse on "Potion." 40 heard something I didn't hear, and so when it dropped, it was just crazy to know where that song started from.
You wrote three records for Snoop's Ego Trippin' album. Was it different working on that than your previous output?
Yes, because of what was at stake. That was my first job and my first chance to get paid doing anything musically. I had to execute and let everybody know I'm here to stay. I was writing with a whole 'nother point in the end, but right now the end is for me.
You had to record the first Welcome to Mollywood tape in two weeks. Were you used to that turnover time?
Since I record and engineer myself, I record four to five songs a day anyway. It's the way I keep my raps up, so yeah.
Was it that way for the new Welcome to Mollywood as well?
This one I really had more time because I didn't know when we were going to put it out, but [it] took three weeks to a month. There's even 12 songs that didn't make it because they didn't fit the vibe of the record.
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